Texans: Don’t drink the water!

I don’t know where they’re getting their bottled water over at Reliant, but please, don’t drink it!

We found out yesterday that starting left tackle Duane Brown will be suspended for the next 4 games for failing a drug test which showed he had violated the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs. He joins 2009’s Defensive Rookie of the Year Brian Cushing on the suspension list. If this keeps up, the league is going to need a “Texans” rule that would make it so only one or two players can be suspended at any one given time.

Here’s what Brown had to say:

“I take full responsibility for putting myself in this situation,” he said. “I unknowingly took a supplement tainted with a banned substance and now have to deal with the consequences. After reviewing the appeal process and speaking with legal counsel, I have decided not to appeal my suspension. I understand the rules and accept my punishment.”

Throw in 2008 long snapper Bryan Pittman, who was suspended in December of 2008 for the same thing, and this has all the markings of a developing trend. For a team that prides itself on a squeaky clean image, this latest suspension just adds insult to injury. And believe me, the insults are flying. I defended Cushing here on the blog back in May, but this is getting downright silly.

The Texans are not the only team to suffer such problems, in 2008 the Minnesota Vikings had two of their starting defensive linemen in Kevin Williams and Pat Williams, and the New Orleans Saints had 3 players in Charles Grant, Deuce McAllister and Will Smith suspended for 4 games each. All five of those players continued to play thanks to U.S. District Judge Paul Magnuson. The Texans will have no such luck.

Funny, nobody seemed to mention that the Saints were cheating when they won the Super Bowl last season, but read some of the comments on the blogs and the news reports about what people are saying about the Texans. As a fan, I hate hearing all the smack, but there is little I can do about it. It’s now up to the Texans staff and management to get this little problem under control.

Teams and players try to get every advantage they can in this mega-competitive business. Whether it’s spying on the other team’s play-calling, taking substances, abusing practice rules, or bending the recruiting rules. So let’s not be naive and think that the Texans players are the only players in the league that have banned substances running through their veins. They just obviously aren’t as good at getting away with it. I’ve always said, if you do something long enough, you’ll eventually get caught. As a fan, I’d like to think that every player on this team is above reproach, that none will get arrested, banned, or suspended. But when you have 53+ players in your employ, these things happen. So my question is, what are the Texans going to do about it?

I’m not an uber-rich business man, and I don’t have billions invested in an NFL football team. (I dont have billions invested in anything, actually.) But I would think that if this were my team, I’d be putting some heat on the General Manager and his staff after losing my second starter of the season for 4 games. The Texans seem poised to make their best run at the playoffs in their short existence, and losing key players to drug suspensions has to make Uncle Bob as infuriated as it does us fans. He’s not the coach or the team doctor, he doesn’t have the time to hold each player’s hand at mealtime or before their workouts, he has to rely on his hired hands to take care of such things.

Understand for a second, that all three players each had a different strength and conditioning coach. Dan Riley was the Texans S&C coach in 2008 when Pittman was suspended. Assistant Ray Wright took over that job last season when Cushing tested positive. Now we have Cedric Smith. I’m not an expert here, so I’m not real sure how much responsibility these guys carry in this, but you have to start thinking that there’s something broke in the system, rather than the individual coaches.

I’m not in any way bashing the Texans as a team, or Duane Brown as a player. I don’t blame these guys for wanting to get ahead, especially when they know a large majority of players across the league are doing the same thing. But I do expect them to do so within the confines of the rules. Because when they break the rules, it affects my team, and in the end, that’s what matters most. I personally think that banning players for 4 games for traces of dietary supplements is ridiculous. How much impact such supplements can have has to be debatable. I think this is more the league trying to combat the substances that players usually don’t test positive for. They ban for what they consider to be “masking agents” because that’s their way of trying to prevent the players from taking the real performance enhancing substances. The league should have different levels of punishment, depending on the substance that the player tested positive for. Cushing and Brown tested positive for traces of a supplement, and receive the same punishment that a player that straight up tested positive for anabolic steroids would receive. I call B.S. on that.

All of this wouldn’t be an issue though if the players were more careful with what they put into their bodies and the coaching and medical staff more closely monitored what the players take. I am of the opinion that the loss of Duane Brown during this next 4-game stretch is not as vital as losing Brian Cushing for the first 4-game stretch. We play Dallas, Oakland, the Giants and Kansas City the next four games. None of these are division games. Kansas City has the best record at 2-0. The Giants and Raiders are both 1-1 and the Cowboys, well, we all know their record. We gave up 5 sacks last weekend with Duane Brown in the line-up. But make no bones about it, losing Brown does and will hurt. The Texans will plug 5th year tackle Rashad Butler into Brown’s spot. Butler is a former 3rd round pick (Carolina) who has primarily played on special teams.

The difference between good teams and bad teams is the ability to overcome these kinds of set-backs. Had Brown strained his hamstring and missed 4 games, we’d be in the same boat. So it’s now time for the coaching staff and the players to step up. The coaches will have to make adjustments to cover any weaknesses on Schaub’s blind side.

The players, namely Butler, will have to step up and get the job done until Brown returns.

25 Responses

For a team that prides itself on a squeaky clean image, this latest suspension just adds insult to injury.Oh, please, stop with the theatrics already. Do you know what the substance was? No, you don’t, and neither does anyone else except the people involved.But you can bet your bottom dollar it wasn’t steroids or anything illegal.I repeat: “was not illegal.” Not allowed by the NFL, true, but not illegal, because all these supplements are legal to be sold and used as long as they “don’t claim to cure disease” or anything like that.The list of “banned” substances is long, and given the state of the supplements “industry” it isn’t difficult to see how some substance used in one process could taint another, through use of the same equipment, etc. Just as you shouldn’t eat ANY M&Ms if you’re subject to peanut allergies, because the plain and the peanut are all made in the same facility, you run the risk of getting inadvertent crap in your otherwise-legal-to-use supplements, and that sounds like what happened in Brown’s case.To me, the bigger problem is the “zero tolerance” policy that gives rise to this. Some rational thought could be brought into play, but then it wouldn’t be the “No Fun League,” would it?Anyway, stop with that “OMG, the Texans are getting a ‘reputation’ for dirty play!” There were no needles or pushers or even coke cans with syringes involved, it was just one of those things. Nothing illegal in the REAL world. Get it?

You must have failed to read everything I said. I agree completely with you that the policy stinks. I said so. I also said I thought a 4 game suspension for such supplements is a bit harsh. I don’t recall saying it was “illegal”. But until they change the “policy”, if it’s banned by the NFL, it’s considered cheating. Cheating, by definition, is considered dirty, by most anyways. While you might think it’s ok to have your team considered “cheaters” around the league, I prefer that mine isn’t. You’re one to preach about theatrics, by the way. ~ Crimedog

Here’s an example of a rational process for this: find the actual product that was used. Find out what was SUPPOSED to be in it, what was on the label, etc. Go and do some investigation, find out if this was a real violation or if the guy might just have been a victim of circumstance.But no, that would make too much sense, wouldn’t it? Nah, they’d rather just suspend the guy for four games even though his INTENT was never to break any rule, he just got the shaft because of the shoddy manufacturing practices in that industry.Whatever.

Could’ve been cold medicine for all we know. I read somewhere he was trying to keep his weight down so it might have been an over the counter diet pill. Nobody knows,time to move on & hope that Butler can play decent & not get hurt. Cause then there is real cause for concern.

Yup I agree. As pointed out in a comment on the previous entry, at least Brown will come back refreshed and ready to make that 10 game surge towards the playoffs! ~ Crimedog

I work out 6 days a week and it gets harder as you get older (45). I’m always trying something different to help my workouts but I don’t have the money these players have. If I was making a living off of my body you can be darn sure I would have the professionals look at everything I was trying! I believe that Brown’s lifestyle of eating and partying played a HUGE part in this. Plain and simple, he doesn’t want to train and eat like a pro so he hurt his team by taking shortcuts. He’s an idiot if he didn’t have the trainers go over whatever he took!

Sounds like one of your readers has been slurping from the fountain at Reliant already.

Look, it is what it is. These guys know the NFL has them under a microscope…literally. They have the money, and the backing of the franchise, to have EVERYTHING they put in their mouth tested, analyzed, scrutinized, homogenized, pasteurized and LEGALIZED by the NFL authority. (Note: I did NOT say the Criminal authority. That’s for those who don’t read my entire posts and comment erroneously anyway.)

Secondly, those in the league take on this responsibility to ‘be careful’ when they go to sign their contracts on the dotted line.

I respect Duane Brown for coming out and saying, “Hey, my bad.” I respect Cushing for not laying down and instead continuing to work his A** off so when he comes back he will be ready to knock some noggins for the, at least, 12 games left in the year.

For the rest of these ya-hoos, take a lesson. If you don’t know EXACTLY what’s in it…don’t eat it. Simple as that.

I think Brown should have checked with the Team befor taking anything that is not approved by the NFL…….he know what he was doing……..who knows …Butler may have a super game againest Dallas……he may be the reason Brown was dirty………go Texans……Dallas will be mad as a hornet sunday…..

I really don’t think it matters what Dallas thinks or what Dallas does. I don’t think they’re good enough. They overpaid and overrated and are more concerned with their egos. They think they can just turn on the switch and boom they’ll be where they’re supposed to be. Bottom line, its their own stupidity that they are where they are. Don’t expect the miraculous turnaround comeback @ Reliant you got last year a la in New Orleans. Not gonna happen. How are they going to even slow down Schaub much less stop him? How are they going to defend Foster? You can’t stop both. Pick your poison.

Well said, ‘Homer Coach’. I may not agree with you, well, ever, but this one you hit on the head. And CD, I agree with you about getting a rep. All I want is a win Saturday so I can talk smack to Cowboy fans. If they can come back with the ‘cheater’ label, then it’s all for naught.

This is the same crap, blogger excuses, that we heard and still hear about Cushing. Who cares what the substance was!?!?!? It’s on a list of BANNED substances…..hence the word BANNED! NFL teams have a strength and conditioning coaches, many of them, that these players can ask about supplements, pills, and any over the counter product. Spare me with the whining and crying about we don’t know what he took and how can we be so judgemental. Hats off to Crimedog for actually taking an objective approach and not the same lame crap that we had to listen to with Cushing’s tall tales. This was an idiotic move by Brown, especially after the Cushing ordeal, and there is no sympathy or excuses. My second favorite blogger excuse is the “guess none of you have ever made a mistake” or the “holier than thou” whine. Have I ever broken a rule that has gotten me suspended from work, because I value my job and paycheck……nope, I passed kindergarten and know how to follow rules.

But until they change the “policy”, if it’s banned by the NFL, it’s considered cheating. Cheating, by definition, is considered dirty, by most anyways. While you might think it’s ok to have your team considered “cheaters” around the league, I prefer that mine isn’t. You’re one to preach about theatrics, by the way. ~ Crimedog –Posted by: fool at September 22, 2010 04:29 PMHow is it “cheating” if it wasn’t intentional? And no, I don’t know his intent, but ASSUMING that “cheating” was involved is a bit much. That’s what I mean with theatrics (or being overdramatic if you will).There has to be an intent to circumvent the rule. I haven’t seen anything that would lead one to conclude there was any intent.

Oh Lord have mercy fool. Are you really serious? READ WHAT I SAID. I said IT IS CONSIDERED CHEATING. Intent has little meaning to those bent on bashing our team. I’m not talking about ME here, I am fair and believe in due process. But the haters don’t give squat about that, and will call foul at every chance. Now please, sir, rise up off me lol…~ Crimedog

Unfortunately the bottom line is that the “rules are the rules”, whether we think that they are fair or not, and Brown broke the rules so he is paying the consequences.

I am disappointed that he wasn’t smart enough to consult with the team staff before he ingested something that was questionable. The players have ample warning about the risks of taking substances that are not approved and he should have been more careful.

I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt and hoping that he made a mistake, albeit a stupid one, and he didn’t consciously try and circumvent the rules. If he did knowingly cheat then I am really pi–ed.

It’s hard enough to win in the NFL when you can keep all of your starters on the field. Injuries can’t be helped but losing players because they are careless or irresponsible is hard to stomach.

Let’s hope that this is the end of it and the Texans don’t have any future suspensions.

Coming from an era when everything had a “zero tolerance” I must laugh at today’s values to keep from crying. Bending & breaking the rules is somehow being defended & cheating has no defense, ever. It has nothing to do with being a sissy or a saint, but rather a responsible adult holding oneself accountable for ones own actions. Something that today’s society is sorely lacking.

CD, I agree with you wholeheartedly with your post. However, for the rest of you…

Cushing wasn’t found to have a banned substance in him. He was found to have elevated levels of HCG or something like that. It’s a natural occurring hormone in everyone. However, the levels found in Cushing were abnormally high, explainable by several possibilities. The most obvious explanation was a reaction in response to the taking of a masking agent. Other times this elevation occurs are when women are pregnant (giving rise to the jokes about Cushing having time off to give birth), as well as the presence of certain types of tumors (pointed out by that travesty of a press conference by Cush), the presence of some issue with the pituitary gland, and, as most recently explained (embarrassingly enough) a possible reaction to “overtraining”. Now, whatever you believe about Cushing and PED’s, at least try to get the facts right. Whether you want to believe it or not, there is a jump, albeit logical, in conclusions about the ingestion of actual steroids.

The issue I believe CD pointed out is, while one or two instances of drug testing failure in the Texans organization might be seen as anomalies, the failure of a third begets a pattern, at least in the eyes of the public. Now three failures, especially three different types of failures of a rather broad and unfocused drug testing policy, amongst 100 odd players (not sure how many different players have been on the 53 man squad in 3 years), doesn’t LOGICALLY point out a systemic or cultural issue for the team in this regard, but it does give the PERCEPTION of one. Perception is the thing most fans judge a franchise by, because we are not privy to the ins and outs of the NFL or any of the teams. Case in point. Many of us could understand that there was a difference between the 07 Texans and the 08 Texans even though they had the same record. Most of us on here could see the addition of better players, the subtraction of not so good players, and the improvement of individuals as well as the team as a whole. Plus we could factor in the variables, i.e. injuries, to get a better big picture of the team. However, the vast majority of fans just look at the record of the team and make their judgements based on that alone. Perception matters.

Now, I still think the Texans organization is one of the better in the league. I think they’ve been slow in adjusting their attitude about certain things, but I like that. They gave Capers 4 years to improve the team. He didn’t so they made that change. They just signed Kubiak to an extension which shows that they plan on giving him more time to fulfill his promise. I appreciate that. Up and down the organization they move more deliberately as opposed to knee jerk reacting to everything. Hopefully, we don’t see another Texan fail a drug test for many years. Cushing took his punishment as is Brown. I hope they both come back angry, healthy, and ready to play.

TW

Very well stated. Thanks. And as another pointed out, bragging about winning Sunday will lose some of it’s flavor when all we get back is accusations of cheating. ~ Crimedog

But the haters don’t give squat about that, and will call foul at every chance. ~ Crimedog –Posted by: fool at September 23, 2010 12:07 PMOderint Dum Metuant (“Let them hate so long as they fear!”) – Lucius Accius

…the failure of a third begets a pattern,… –Posted by: Texan Will at September 23, 2010 02:36 PMOkay, granted. But what pattern?To me, it indicates a pattern of relentless overreaction by the NFL to anything that smacks of “doping” (the term the rest of the world uses), and is consistent with the general overreaction of, e.g., public school systems that suspend a kid for having an aspirin in her purse.I’m not trying to minimize this, but the incessant witch-huntery regarding the doping issue has become very, very boring to me.I won’t even say “they all do it” but the availability of “supplements,” the non-regulation of the supplements industry, and even the difficulty of discerning the fine line between what is and what is not permitted is mind-boggling to me – and I consider myself of above average intelligence.Maybe I’m the one who doesn’t get it. But the hue and cry over this issue is pointless to me.Meanwhile, CD is afraid of what people will say about the Texans. Well, I’ve been listening to the nationwide radio talk-shows, working out of town where there are no local shows to which I may listen, and I’ll tell you what they’re talking about: 1) Braylon Edwards’ DUI; 2) The Mike Vick vs. Kevin Kolb controversy in Philly; and 3) rumors of Brett Favre’s sudden retirement.Not one word about any sort of “doping scandal” involving the Texans. It’s just a non-story outside Houston.And for once, that’s the way I like it.

I am a realist people. Yes, there is a way the Texans could lose this game. They will have to beat themselves and as of late, the Texans haven’t been doing that have they? The confidence level of the Texans is unparalleled in the teams brief history. The Cowboys D shutting down the Texans? Don’t count on it. Refer to previous post, we are the most balanced offense in the NFL overall. Slow down or stop the pass which basically the Colts didn’t do, the Texans switched strategies. Shut down the running game, we’ll shred your secondary.

I agree wholeheartedly about society’s over reaction to issues such as this. This is the reason I mentioned perception. The NFL has its policy in regards to doping because of the perception of PED influence on the game. Have steroids been used in football? Yes. Has public reaction to it been overblown. Not nearly as much as in baseball. I mean, senate hearings? Really? The NFL avoided it getting to the ridiculous point of baseball by creating this PED testing policy. Could it be handled different? Probably. Regardless, PED testing failure becomes the story and factors into the perception of teams. Now the D. Brown suspension is a non-story precisely because of the stories you mention. The fact is, over the off season, since Cushings suspension there have been at least a dozen other similar occurrences that have rated almost no time on ESPN. My concern with this was that it was the second such occurrence for the Texans. And, I just don’t like the home town team looking bad for any reason.

Now, I can’t speak for CD, but I would assume his first issue with Brown’s suspension is simply the loss of our starting LT. Everyone has to admit that this does not help our team win this sunday. It has the opposite affect. This is certainly my main problem with the whole thing. It just plain hurts the team.

The next problem I have with the whole mess is that I have to hear about it. Luckily the stories you mentioned give me reason enough to ignore Sportscenter this week. A distant third reason to hate all of this is the fact that it makes talking smack a little less fun. It gives ammunition, however foolish and not applicable, to my enemies. I recall my responses to Cowboy fans of the 90’s when they bragged about the triplets. “At least my team isn’t getting busted doing coke!!” BTW, watching Michael Irvin this weekend, is it me or is dude still hitting the pipe?

CD- I am glad you brought up the point about the vik’s and saints. i really dont understand how the NFL can suspend some players and not others. maybe i haven’t been completely informed as to the reasoning behind this. banned supplements ARE banned supplements. the players are responsible for what they put into their bodies. Why is it one way for one and not for the other.

FOOL is right though other than sportscenter ticker there is no mention of these suspensions outside of H-Town at least not out here in SOCAL

I recall my responses to Cowboy fans of the 90’s when they bragged about the triplets. “At least my team isn’t getting busted doing coke!!” –Posted by: Texan Will at September 23, 2010 05:37 PMSorry, but testing positive for trace amounts of some obscure diuretic isn’t remotely like doing the perp-walk for nose candy.And if you are gonna let Cowboy fans needle you for something so stupid, then the problem goes deeper than diuretics.

RE: “Doping scandal involving the Texans is a non story outside Houston”…..Yeah even cheating can’t get the attention of the rest of the country. How sad…. The Ryan Suffocks of the NFL are a non story outside Houston no matter what they do. Like Phil Simms said, “The Texans performance gets lost since they play down there in Houston”………LMAO.

Like Phil Simms said, “The Texans performance gets lost since they play down there in Houston”………LMAO. –Posted by: COWBOY at September 23, 2010 07:56 PMThat’s true, though, COWBOY. Just like no one really cares what happens in Cleveland, or Kansas City.But you see, Texans fans don’t care about that. I know you love to go on about jersey sales and TV ratings, but it just doesn’t matter to us. This is OUR team, not anyone else’s. We don’t expect to be noticed, but the teams we play have come to respect our team, and that goes even for your beloved Cowboys.